Description
Book SynopsisThe most eye-opening, and terrifying, story in Chip Reid's career as a journalist was the six weeks he spent with 3d Battalion, 5th Marines, during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, as a correspondent for NBC News. Traveling shoulder-to-shoulder with the young Marines, he had unparalleled access, witnessing them in combat, and interviewing as many as he could persuade his bosses to put on air, allowing them to tell their war stories in their own words.
It took only 22 days for the Marines of 3/5 to fight their way to Baghdad, but the effects on those who fought have lasted a lifetime. They lost a number of their own in battle, and others suffered life-threatening injuries. Of those who returned - even if they avoided physical scars - many have had to find their own way through survivor's guilt and the nightmare of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, with all its attendant miseries.
Twenty years on, Chip sat down with the Marines of 3/5 once more. They told Chip inspiring stories of heroism in battle, of camaraderie and comrades lost, of patriotism and belief in mission, of recovery and success in both military and civilian life, and of the new appreciation for life that results from Post-Traumatic Growth. Visceral and searingly honest, this book is a tribute to the Marines for their service, and for the many sacrifices they made then, and that many still make today.
Trade Review“Chip Reid’s Battle Scars is one Hell’va book! Reid, a CBS News National correspondent and embedded journalist with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, authored a riveting account of the 'March up' to Baghdad, Iraq in 2003. Battle Scars is Reid’s compelling personal account that captures the essence of young Marines in combat and the aftermath of their experiences twenty years later. Reid draws upon dozens of veteran interviews to tell their story in a comprehensive and exciting ground-level—in the mud—eye witness account.” —Colonel Richard D. Camp, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)
“In Battle Scars, readers are treated to a vivid account of one Marine battalion’s experiences during the opening phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In the style that made him a successful broadcast journalist—and endeared him to hundreds of wives, parents and children watching his daily reports during the early days of the war—Chip Reid artfully narrates the individual stories of several Marines and corpsmen who were then part of the 3d Battalion, 5th Marines. Their accounts are gripping and at times painfully sobering; their stories, like their scars, are real. Ultimately, I hope this book offers other veterans some comfort in the realization of a shared experience, and a renewed desire to live for those who made the ultimate sacrifice.” —Lieutenant General Sam Mundy
Table of ContentsPreface Introduction: Mr. Magoo Goes To War Part One: From Kuwait to Baghdad at the Tip of the Spear Chapter 1: The Ground War Begins Chapter 2: First Combat Chapter 3: Two Days from Hell Chapter 4: The Battle at Devil’s Ditch Chapter 5: Winning The Hearts of the Iraqi People Chapter 7: Arrival in Baghdad Part Two: Twenty Years Later Chapter 8: Consequences of Being Trained to Kill Chapter 9: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Post-Traumatic Growth Chapter 10: Marines Tell Their Stories Of PTSD and PTG Chapter 11: Marine Families Tell Their Stories of PTSD and PTG Chapter 12: Lives Transformed by the Marines Chapter 13: Marines Who Loved It So Much They Made It a Career Chapter 14: Opinions About the Iraq War Today Chapter 15: In Memory Epilogue: An Emotional Mountaintop Reunion
